Translated by Eve
Edited by Kara
In the end, whether or not 5237 sought death, only it knew. In any case, when Sui Yuan and Zhao Xihe were chatting, the other's tone was very normal. As for whether he would settle accounts later, that was another matter altogether.
Aside from this, Sui Yuan's time spent recuperating was very joyous. After "saving the beauty," Bai began acting very wifely and took very good of him to the point that he nearly fed him like one would a baby.
As the protagonist shou of this world, Bai's strengths were his manual dexterity and his creativity. If Sui Yuan hadn't been given any handbooks, he probably would not have been able to discover the merits of all these plants as fast as Bai did, let alone use them.
While Sui Yuan watched, the protagonist shou seemed to practically conjure up a new tool every single day. Not only did he make close-combat weapons, but he also manufactured the long-distance bow. He even coated the weapons with poison to up the killing power. Sui Yuan was scared witless while observing this all.
Aside from weapons, Bai also created quite a few ingenious traps, thereby digging a great pit for all of the animals in this world, who had yet to see a trap before. When he was lucky, Bai didn't have to go hunting. Just by using his traps, he was able to catch quite a number of animals. Eating his fill was no issue. Of course, what was worthy to rejoice over was that he made some clothes for himself while he was at it. Although they were simple and crude, they were enough to give him a certain level of warmth and protection rather than just cover up his shame.
Bai's actions naturally shocked the entire pack. His style of hunting with weapons and traps were unheard of to them. They'd never seen anything like it before. Especially the traps because they did not rely on sharp teeth or claws. He didn't even have to run around as prey would just walk into his traps. This opened the door to a whole new world for the pack!
Unfortunately, it was no use for the pack to learn this method of hunting, even if Bai had never hid his methods before. However, without the dexterous hands of a human, the beasts could only use the most simplest traps such as digging pitfalls, even after expending great effort. These low-level traps were far inferior to the high-level traps that relied on internal mechanisms.
At this time, the beasts finally realized that the seemingly powerless, weird-looking human hands were unexpectedly very useful.
Sui Yuan silently looked on as the protagonist shou quickly assembled a coordinated trap. He couldn't help but wonder whether the protagonist shou was a tech nerd before transmigrating. After all, that dexterity was not something just anyone would have!
After finishing his trap, Bai turned to look at Sui Yuan, who was looking at him with a complicated expression, and couldn't help but chuckle. He then grabbed the prey within his traps, "Are you hungry? I'm done here. Soon, I'll have food for you to eat."
Instantly, Sui Yuan's eyes involuntarily lit up, and his tail unconsciously began to wag.
——Right, the other thing that Sui Yuan admired about the other was his cooking. Although Sui Yuan had eaten many delicacies from all over, he had only eaten raw meat after arriving in this world. Even if he didn't think it was too unpalatable, he got sick of it after eating it so much. Meanwhile, Bai had come to the rescue of Sui Yuan's taste buds.
Who knows where Bai had found all these spices, but Bai's food became more and more abundant in taste. All the beasts who tasted his handicraft couldn't stop eating. However, the only one who got to eat Bai's food everyday was Sui Yuan. Even Xiao Hei, who had always liked to compete for affection with Bai in front of Sui Yuan, would automatically cast jealous looks towards Sui Yuan when it was time to eat. If it wasn't because of Sui Yuan's remaining influence, he would probably be unable to hold himself back and try to snatch the food away.
The beasts also were all afraid of fire. Since Bai had lit a fire in order to roast food, he became a bit mysterious and dangerous in the eyes of the beasts. After all, a dangerous, demon-like creature that could "control" fire was enough to make the beasts stay three feet away.
Even Sui Yuan pretended to be "afraid" of fire for a period of time. It was only after he was coaxed by Bai for half a day that he was willing to warm himself by the fire. As for the other beasts, they didn't get such good treatment. They could only rely on their own courage to conquer their innate fear. Therefore, the results until now had not been very fruitful.
Seeing Bai continuously flip the food on the grill and occasionally sprinkle some kind of seasoning, Sui Yuan inhaled deeply and swallowed some saliva. He lazily laid by Bai's side and waited for a delicious meal to be brought to his mouth.
At the same time, Bai petted Sui Yuan while also carefully examining the conditions of the other's wounds. When he confirmed that Sui Yuan would very quickly recover, he finally sighed in relief.
He lowered his head to kiss Sui Yuan on the forehead and didn't even show any disdain when his face was pricked by rough fur. He happily made a decision, "Since you're almost fully recovered, I'll give you a bath later. You haven't touched water in so many days already. You must also find it rather unbearable, ba?"
Sui Yuan glanced at him lazily. Honestly, he really didn't know why the protagonist shou kept talking to him, an animal. He couldn't understand his words! Really didn't understand!
Very quickly, Sui Yuan, who "could not understand his words," finished eating and eagerly swaggered over to the nearby creek with the protagonist shou. Although Bai had always done his best to help Sui Yuan clean his fur, Sui Yuan really did feel unwell all over after not being in contact with water for so many days.
Seeing Sui Yuan's impatient appearance, Bai's smile deepened. Even if he occasionally thought that he was insane to talk to an animal, deep down, he had a feeling that Sui Yuan could understand him. Although the other always showed a puzzled and impatient expression, no matter what Bai wanted him to do, Sui Yuan would understand him the first time he said it. This made Bai repeatedly use words like "take a bath," "eat," "medicinal herbs," and what not over and over, seeming like if he did this, there would be a day where they would be able to communicate.
Of course, Bai also knew that the vocal organs of humans and animals were different. Unless the other also turned into a human, they would never be able to chat. However, sometimes, people needed something to console themselves—something that gave them the power to hold on.
As an animal, Sui Yuan, who was dedicated to his work, did not think that it was odd to be washed by someone else. On the contrary, he really enjoyed this feeling. Not to mention, the protagonist shou had picked up something like soap from who-knows-where, which only helped in making his fur even more clean.
Sui Yuan, who was squinting his eyes while standing in the creek, became sleepy from being washed by the protagonist shou. At this moment, Xiao Hei suddenly ran over and called out "wuwu," telling them that the pack seemed to have found something Bai needed.
By now, Bai had proved his worth. His position in the pack naturally soared. He helped the pack manufacture traps, participated in hunts with his weapons, used medicinal herbs to treat the wounded, and cooked up all sorts of delicious treats. Furthermore, the beasts were a simple and frank bunch. Since they could get benefits from him, they would naturally exchange favours with him. Whenever they saw something that seemed to match Bai's description, they would take it back for him to inspect while they were at it.
Bai hesitated and turned to look at Sui Yuan. Sui Yuan was unperturbed and used his nose to poke at the other, telling him to quickly go. Of course, Bai did not have any reluctant feelings of parting. After confirming that Sui Yuan could rinse off the rest of the soap himself, he decisively followed Xiao Hei and left, leaving Sui Yuan by the creek all on his own.
Sui Yuan dunked his head into the water and allowed the clear creek water to clean his puffy fur. When Sui Yuan ran out of air, he suddenly broke through the water's surface and shook his head. Only, in the next second, he no longer felt satisfied and relaxed. This was because he smelled a familiar, dangerous scent. He was instantly on guard, and he turned to look in the direction from where he had first perceived the feeling.
There didn't seem to be anything odd, but Sui Yuan did not relax his guard. He slowly retreated to the shore. Even if his fur was wet, stuck to his body, and obviously cumbersome, he did not dare to take the time to shake out the water.
The stifling silence continued to drag on. The first unable to bear this silence was Sui Yuan. A breeze blew, causing Sui Yuan, who was drenched, to sneeze. At this moment, a black shadow that had been hiding amidst the trees all this time suddenly pounced down. Even if Sui Yuan had automatically started to run to the side, he could not dodge this swift and fierce attack.
The newcomer was larger than Sui Yuan by a whole head. It easily pressed him down, suppressing him so that Sui Yuan was unable to flip over. Sui Yuan's throat was bit at by sharp teeth. Although it did not break his skin, if Sui Yuan struggled, the other would be able to easily tear open his throat. A familiar scent wafted into Sui Yuan's nose. Sui Yuan clearly recognized that the creature, that was larger than him and pressing him down, was the feline that he had a fierce fight with not long ago. The feline that had taken the initiative to retreat after beating him half to death.
After taking stock of the situation, Sui Yuan finally cried out "wuwu," and relaxed his body as if giving up on resisting, showing weakness to the enemy. Since the other did not bite him to death at once, then being tactful would at least ensure that the situation did not worsen.
Seeing that Sui Yuan was not going to continue struggling, the feline indeed relaxed and slowly retracted the sharp fangs by Sui Yuan's neck, raising its head.
Sui Yuan's eyes, that were watching the other's every move, met with a pair of glinting green eyes staring back. He couldn't help but tremble. He felt like he was a sheep that was being watched by a predator, waiting to be slaughtered. After being fattened up a bit, the other would take a bite out of him.
Towards this, Sui Yuan felt very depressed. If it wasn't because his body was too young right now, he would definitely not be powerless against the other. Even if he couldn't beat the other to death, at the very least, they would be evenly matched. Of course, this was only if he didn't use props. If he used props, don't even mention this single feline. Even if a whole bunch of them came, he'd be able to destroy them all!
As if it really enjoyed Sui Yuan's subservient action, a smile appeared in the feline's jade eyes. It gracefully jumped off of Sui Yuan, circled around him, and then licked his fur that had just been washed clean but had become messy again after rolling around.
Sui Yuan twisted his neck away in dissatisfaction. He then sneezed in the other's face when the wind blew.
The feline didn't care at all. After pulling back, it very quickly approached him again and bit Sui Yuan's ear. It was then shaken off again.
After confirming that the other did not hold any killing intent towards him, Sui Yuan's courage grew. He flipped over, stood up, and dodged the big cat's harassment with impatience. He walked over to the creek again in a noble and aloof manner and washed his body that had picked up dirt from rolling about.
Although it was ignored by Sui Yuan, the big cat did not find his actions unpleasant. After watching Sui Yuan enter the water, the big cat gracefully and soundlessly stepped onto a rock near the creek, lying down comfortably. It squinted its eyes in a lazy manner as it watched Sui Yuan wash himself, carrying a kind of…mn… king-like aura?
Sui Yuan, who felt like he had become a picture of "a bathing beauty," felt very unhappy. However, it was not the time to haggle over this. After all, he currently could not beat the other in a fight and could only endure it for now.
Sui Yuan, who continued to treat the big cat like air, washed his fur while flipping through the plot. He originally thought that the big cat that attacked the protagonist shou was a passerby character that he didn't have to pay any attention to. Now, that didn't seem to be the case.
According to the normal course of events, this tyrannical fellow that seemed to have been affected by his halo was not a protagonist but ought to be an important supporting lead. Only, the later portion of the plot did not mention them, so Sui Yuan had neglected it.
A feline-like important character…Sui Yuan very quickly cast his attention to the protagonist gong's group. This group was of feline-like animals. They looked like tigers but acted like lions.
Since he had his suspects, he now needed to do some detailed research. Sui Yuan dug for several descriptions. It was said that the protagonist gong's eyes were green. Sui Yuan couldn't help but look skeptically at the big cat lying on the rock.
The big cat swished its tail around, sending Sui Yuan a questioning look. Sui Yuan, however, silently averted his eyes.
Although he felt that it was very likely, Sui Yuan still didn't quite believe it. After all, this was the protagonist gong, ah! The protagonist gong…nearly ate the protagonist shou? And, it was the literal meaning of eat! Wasn't this a bit much?! Fortunately, the protagonist shou didn't know this had happened. Otherwise, how would they have a happy ending later on, ah!? (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Sui Yuan felt like a mess when he made this connection. He couldn't help but turn to 5237 for help, "Say, do you think I'm overthinking things? Maybe this big cat has nothing to do with the protagonist gong? At most…it's just something that looks like him?"
5237 fell silent, "Actually…that's possible? After all, the plot is written from the protagonist shou's point of view. It doesn't touch upon the things regarding the protagonist gong before they meet all that much. Moreover…don't you think it's a little inconceivable? The protagonist shou can create weapons, use all sorts of things, but that's only because he used to be human. His knowledge is vast. Then, what about the protagonist gong, ne? Why can he also make such things that are even at a similar level of quality to that of the protagonist shou?"
Sui Yuan, who never thought about this issue, was speechless for a while. He couldn't help but feel horrified when he pondered over this question carefully.
——How had the protagonist gong learned these things? One or two things could be considered a coincidence—that the protagonist gong could possibly have invented them, but when the number rose, it could no longer be simply explained as a coincidence.
The most probable explanation is that he learned it all from the protagonist shou. But, when did the protagonist gong begin to learn, ne? Perhaps…it was when he decided to treat the protagonist shou as prey but had failed.
The protagonist gong only saw the protagonist shou as prey in the beginning. He was unresigned when he could not eat him. Therefore, he secretly tracked him and waited in the dark to look for another chance. Soon after though, he discovered that the protagonist shou's creativity and ideas were astonishing. Therefore, he decided to discard his initial idea of eating the protagonist shou and began to learn his skills to use them for his own purposes instead.
In the end, the protagonist gong took what he learned from the protagonist shou to steal the protagonist shou's territory. He snatched, and he snatched and even managed to snatch up the protagonist shou himself…. Thus, the protagonist gong ended up with territory, knowledge, and even a beauty by his side. Even "winner at life" was not sufficient enough to describe him!
WTF, what kind of scheme is this, ah!? Sui Yuan simply wanted to kneel to the protagonist gong! To want everything for nothing to this extent, it simply made him dizzy….
Instantly, the gaze Sui Yuan used to look at the big cat was completely different. If at the very beginning, he saw the other as an extremely annoying, crazy creature that he couldn't beat, so he had to temporarily bear with him. However, now, the big cat had become an even more despicable and immoral beast in his eyes.
The big cat, who was donning an innocent expression and felt baffled when looked at like this: "………………????"
Eve: Dang, that's some scummy man right there…but can I say that if he's technically an animal so human morals don't really apply? Hmmmmm….
Kara: The mentality and thought-process of the animals are so much more direct and simple: If it's food, eat it; if you can't beat it, maybe try again later; if it's actually useful, then use it instead. So, I can't call the protagonist gong a scum man (beast?), but I can call him a scum man if he's thinking about taking SY for himself in addition to Bai!!!! ϱ(`ન̇´)⁼³̳